Thursday, August 30, 2012

VA narrows cemetery sites to two

A list of four possible sites for a veterans cemetery in the Colorado Springs area has been narrowed to two, Rep. Doug Lamborn said in a news release Wednesday.

The two are Rolling Hills Ranch, in the vicinity of Bradley and South Meridian roads, and Bradley Heights, which is located near Bradley and South Marksheffel roads.

That means a site north of Highway 24 east of Colorado Springs has been eliminated, as has Kane Ranch east of Fountain, which had been identified for years as the probable location for the cemetery. Kane Ranch, though, didn't have a water source, meaning either El Paso County or the city of Fountain would have to extend a line to it. Because VA rules don't allow money to be spent on infrastructure off-site, the line's cost would have been the county's or Fountain's expense.

The county was given the Kane Ranch land several years ago when the VA was searching for a site. Commissioner Dennis Hisey has said that should the VA choose another place for the cemetery, Kane Ranch some day could become a regional park or open space.

“I am pleased the VA has further narrowed down their preferences for a new Veterans Cemetery site in El Paso County. Both of these finalists are much more accessible to Southern Colorado’s veterans and their families than Fort Logan near Denver. Veteran’s advocates have worked with dogged determination for more than a decade to bring a cemetery to our part of the state, and it appears their work will soon bear fruit,” Lamborn said in a release.

A final decision is expected late this year, with groundbreaking sometime in 2014.